1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to exercise equipment. Specifically, the present invention relates to exercise equipment for providing full-body aerobic and anaerobic workouts and enabling full-body compression and extension resistance exercises.
2. Description of the Related Art
Full-body exercise equipment is employed in various demanding applications including home gym, physical rehabilitation, and Olympic training applications. Such applications demand versatile and configurable exercise equipment that can efficiently target all major muscle groups including abdominal and lower back muscles.
Ideally, a full-body exercise machine facilitates anaerobic and aerobic exercises and efficiently works all major opposing muscle groups, providing a balanced workout and promoting body symmetry. Examples of opposing muscle groups include biceps and triceps, chest and upper back, abdominal muscles and lower back muscles, and quadriceps and hamstrings.
Various conventional exercise machines, such as rowing machines, exercise bicycles, elliptical trainers, stair climbers, the HealthRider™ or Power Rider™, Total Gym™, SoloFlex™, BowFlex™, and home gyms, attempt to provide effective full-body workouts but have various shortcomings. For example, rowing machines provide positive resistance to various muscle groups in one direction only, failing to exercise opposing muscle groups with positive resistance (Positive resistance occurs when lifting, pushing, or pulling against a resistance. Negative resistance occurs when lowering a weight or otherwise extending an extremity in the direction of the resistance.). Consequently, users wishing to perform triceps extensions, for example, must use a different machine. Furthermore, rowing machines are typically limited to a single configuration, wherein both legs and both arms move together in similar directions. This may prematurely exhaust muscle groups before a sufficient aerobic workout is obtained.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,641, 833, by Trethewey, entitled EXERCISE MACHINE, discloses an exercise machine for providing resistance during both pulling and pushing motions. Unfortunately, like conventional rowing machines, the exercise motion is limited and requires both arms and both legs to either push or pull simultaneously. An ideal aerobic workout may require opposite or independent movement of both arms and both legs. Furthermore, during each repetition, the seat elevates, inhibiting the user from performing other simultaneous tasks, such as reading or watching television.
Pedal machines, such as bicycles and elliptical trainers, may include movable handles designed to augment leg workouts with upper body workouts. Exemplary pedal machines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,804, by Zibell, entitled EXERCISING MACHINE AND METHOD and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,225, by Lucas, et al., entitled DUAL ACTION CYCLE EXERCISER. Unfortunately, such devices are often limited to a predetermined motion, such as bicycle pedal motion, and generally do not accommodate other exercises, such as leg presses. In a conventional bicycle pedal motion, one leg extends as the opposite leg bends, which may be undesirable for anaerobic exercise. In addition, maximum resistance is often applied near the middle of the exercise motion between compressed and extended states and not the top or bottom of a particular motion. An optimal workout may require resistance near the top and bottom of the exercise motion. Furthermore, these systems typically lack mechanisms for efficiently exercising the midsection, including abdominal and lower back muscles.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,126 to Dalebout, et al., entitled GENERAL PURPOSE EXERCISE MACHINE, may allow exercise of arms and legs via both pushing and pulling motions. Unfortunately, this exercise machine, like previous exercise devices, inadequately exercises the midsection and lacks a mechanism for facilitating sit-ups or back hyperextensions. Furthermore, the exercise machine requires a complex lever system that may be undesirably expensive and unreliable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,587, by Lin, entitled DUAL EXERCISE BICYCLE, discloses a combination exercise bicycle and sit-up machine. Unfortunately, the device is configured to operate as either an exercise bicycle or a sit-up device and may not accommodate both sit-up and bicycle exercises simultaneously. Furthermore, leg motion is limited to bicycle motion. In addition, the device employs a rigid handle connected to an anchored steel rope, which may not provide an effective upper body workout.
Devices such as the HealthRider™ (U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,434) or Power Rider™ (U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,435) employ body weight to exercise the legs and arms. An exemplary device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,066,073 to Stearns, et al, entitled EXERCISE APPARATUS WITH ELEVATING SEAT. Unfortunately, such devices often employ a non-configurable moving seat that may inhibit simultaneous tasks, such as reading or watching television. In addition, positive resistance is typically applied in one direction only, such as when pulling with the arms or pushing with the legs, which limits effective muscle group targeting. Furthermore, these devices may not provide adequate abdominal and lower back exercises.
Total Gym™, SoloFlex™, BowFlex™, and home gyms may target multiple muscle groups with both positive and negative resistance. Unfortunately, these systems often require undesirably numerous and complex body positions and motions to effectively achieve a full-body workout. In addition, these exercise systems provide relatively inadequate full-body aerobic workouts.
Conventional exercise equipment is generally adapted for aerobic or anaerobic exercise and not both. Allowable motions, resistance levels, and resistance directions are often limited from any given sitting position and generally do not provide positive resistance during both extension and compression (curl) exercises for all major limbs of the body, including the torso. Ideally, a full-body workout machine efficiently exercises all major muscle groups with both positive and negative resistance. Furthermore, combined motions involving conventional exercise equipment often neglect the midsection. These factors may significantly reduce the overall functionality and effectiveness of the exercise equipment.
Hence, a need exists in the art for an efficient, versatile, and adjustable system that facilitates full-body aerobic and anaerobic exercise by enabling curls and extensions of the major limbs of the body, including the torso (sit-ups and back hyperextensions), legs (leg raises, extensions, and curls), arms (arm extensions, curls, and pull-backs), and feet (calf raises and toe pull-backs), thereby enabling exercise of all major muscle groups, including the chest and shoulders.